Prime Minister Philip J.Pierre has accused the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) of plotting with others to lay off workers due to the implementation of a minimum wage.
Pierre made the accusation while addressing the annual general meeting of the ruling Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) Vieux Fort North constituency.
“They are planning and plotting with some people to lay off workers because of the minimum wage – the United Workers Party, planning and plotting with people to lay off workers,” he stated without going into details.
The Prime Minister described the implementation of the minimum wage in August as historic.
The measure will take effect in October.
As a result, Employers have until October 1, 2024, to adjust their systems and ensure employee remuneration reflects the following minimum wages:
$1130 monthly
$52.00 daily
$6.52 hourly
The new minimum wage will increase the salaries of nearly 13,000 people.
Prime Minister Pierre had earlier warned that employee layoffs would sow discord and disenchantment.
But he also called on workers to provide a fair day’s work for their remuneration.
Pierre told the SLP Vieux Fort North constituency meeting that he did things correctly.
He recalled not announcing the minimum wage until the Minimum and Equal Wages Commission had completed its work.
The commission held extensive consultations to determine the minimum wage rate.
During last week’s pre-cabinet press briefing, Labour Minister Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte emphasized that the minimum wage would be separate from any incentives, bonuses, commissions, or service charges employees earn.
Albert-Poyotte also said that the minimum wage commission’s term had been extended to monitor the minimum wage implementation process, including any layoffs due to the measure.
For goodness sake, first of all what is $6.52 , hourly wage. THAT IS STILL POVERTY LEVEL. Lets raise it to $10 an hour and enforce it.
Take some money off the top and pay the working class so they can just live and pay their bills.
PIP can you for once focus on the task at hand and stop this BS about Chas.
Are you aware that you are the one in the hot seat?
Patiently waiting to see the PM who has the balls to streamline the Civil Service.
Dude is suggesting UWP has control over all companies in ST. Lucia? These are the ravings of a lunatic. Companies have higher costs. Either they raise prices or cut costs some other way. This is rather elementary and has been seen any and everywhere a minimum wage was implemented. Peep is grasping at straws.
This PM has a PhD in politics. He eats, sleep and shate politics 🙄 not even waiting for the minimum wage to take effect. Smh.
You know the Prime minister is gas lighting you when he spews an alleged non story about the opposition and yet has nothing to say when young men are dying every two days through gun violence. Not once has he called a press conference to tell the nation what he will do to alleviate this scourge that effects the entire society. Not once has he come up with an effective plan other than giving the forces more vehicles to go about their daily rounds…not once has he told the nation one new and innovative way forward to stem the violence. Now you may say the PM cannot stop Crime but I will say, while he may not be able to stop crime, he is at the head of the leadership of the national and it is in those dia moments that he must step up and show the nation he cares and have a plan moving forward. But of course, attacking the opposition, with petty talk is easier to accomplish than to formulate a plan to stem the violence. If Saint Lucians can’t see through this blatant derilection of duty then I am apt to believe that pigs will surely fly and cows moonwalk long before our society matures into stable adulthood.
Once upon a time, this place was blessed with brilliant people. Minds that were sharp
as a razor’s edge. One could actually learn something. Unfortunately, many of them with families, uprooted and went overseas. Others have died. There is a brain drain and it’s showing. We have been reduced intellectual midgets.
As a child, I loved listening to the radio. It was a place to learn proper English and learn new words. I’ll tell you what, let’s not go there. I was too young to fully understand the house debates, but I was able to learn new words and minor concepts. Now, I have warned my young son about listening to those debates. They definitely can hold him back at school. There are spoonerisms, using the wrong tense, double negatives, verb and subject disagreement, wrong word order, repeating prepositions etc. It’s not a safe environment for an impressionable mind.
This atmosphere is set for semi-illiterates and illiterates. The structure of a modern day hospital is called, “a box.” A call for life-saving medical supplies and equipment is viewed suspiciously. The reason for suspicion, a bizarre connection between the opposition and the medical field; a modern day doctors plot. A new plot manufactured by the machine has just come to light. This one is a cabal of some businesses that will layoff workers when the new minimum wage comes into effect. Forgive me for thinking. Is there a company out there, that will forego efficiency, profits and longevity for a risk with some political party? Maybe the guy selling tamarinds might try it. Companies that layoff personnel risk losing efficiency. This in turn can force customers to go elsewhere. Learn the modern day story of Home Depot and Lowes in the USA.
The combination of party paranoia and lack of intellectual stimulation is stifling. It can make one feel jaded. Lucky are the few who can discern fact from fiction.
The PM actually said this? In public? We are worse off than I thought, smh. Sadly, the hacks will grab this and run with it. Sad state of affairs.
Garson, just do what you have to do without talking about the other party for once. You, Richard, Chas, Guy, Spider and king are all cut from the same COOCOON! WAH!
The UWPs will do anything to disturb this government. I have not heard anything constructive from Allen, Guy or Domnik. The same crap all the time. By the way Domnik, remember when you were in power you did not do anything for us in Millet, so if decide to go up again what will you do? Little Guyanese, we don’t want you anymore.
I’m starting to think that this guy is really the root of all our problems. It’s inevitable that because if the minimum wage, employers will lay off people. Everyone knew that hence why no one wanted to touch minimum wage even when the Labour Code was enacted. Instead of being fully transparent with people PJP will instead opt to play politics and already sow seeds of blame at the oppositions door steps to deflect.
And then the Minister will further commission the Committee led by a husband for a further period to “monitor layoffs” You can’t make this up Saint Lucia!
@Poule Foo , I concur with your whole statement. We refuse to move forward in on this 238 sq mile rock. These guys continually corrupt our minds and in the words of Rick Wayne, “You get the government you deserve.” Some of us can discern and able to filter BS from truth. How can a political party make complo with businesses to lay off workers when it can affect them, their families, friends, supporters. This makes no sense. You all should listen when Mia Mottley speaks. She calls Bajans together, here in Saint Lucia, we divide. Whe will all this stop?????
The comments from this gentleman can tell you how he feels if he is in opposition and what he thinks while in opposition.
So the opposition would ask the businesses who operate for profit to spite themselves just to make the Labour Party look bad and in so doing impact both Flambeau and Labour supporters. And this is the level of thinking of our politicians. No PJP do better. No wonder Can I help me is so emboldened. Cause it’s a stay in power by any means necessary mindset that the current lot of ministers have.